In A Fix - Mary Calmes Page 0,94
on the bed, on either side of my thighs.
“But they don’t all know your personal business,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, I don’t care,” he scoffed, leaning in to kiss me. It was gentle and quick, but it made my stomach do the fluttery thing anyway, and the smile, with a trace of mischief, along with how rumpled his clothes were and how messy his hair was, all made me think about going home and getting back into bed with him.
“Okay,” was all I could think of to say.
He took a breath. “Today’s Saturday, so—are you leaving?”
“No, I won’t leave until tomorrow or maybe Monday.”
His relief was palpable. “Thank you. Just—don’t make any plans without me. Wait until I get home.”
“Certainly.”
He nodded and then turned to Ella. “The marshals are going to take custody of you in the morning for transport. Your office wasn’t about to let us provide security, since ours had a mole. I can’t blame them.”
She hugged him, and when she let go, he gave me another kiss and then headed for the hospital lobby. I watched him go through the doors and disappear. I got a text from him—he couldn’t have made it farther than the parking lot—saying that he’d miss going home with me, and for me to please be careful with my bandage. It was very thoughtful, and I told him so. I got a heart back, and I stared at the emoji for a long moment.
“Huh,” Ella said, looking at the text from her perch beside me on the bed. “You’re in a real fix, aren’t you? What to do, what to do…? You better think hard.”
I was good at that, so it wouldn’t be a problem.
Sixteen
Dallas was there on Sunday morning when the marshals arrived at the house, and was about to introduce Ella to Special Agent Sergio Mata of the DEA when she squealed and dived into his arms. Dallas was stunned when I hugged him as well.
“It’s like alumni week at college,” I said, staring at him. Sergio had gone to school with us, and though he and I had not been as close as I was to Ella, he had been, for those four years, a constant presence in my life.
“Where the hell did you go after graduation, man?” he asked me.
“He disappeared into the wilds of Chicago,” Ella informed him.
I chuckled at her choice of words, because she didn’t know how on the nose she was.
“No kidding. I’ve got a friend who just transferred out there. He’s a marshal,” Sergio said, eyeing me.
“Your buddy transferred to the marshals’ office in Chicago?”
“Yeah. Josiah Redeker. He and his partner went up there not too long ago. He said it’s colder than crap, but I’m still jealous.”
“Of him moving to Chicago? Why?”
“Not Chicago, just the change. Any change.”
“The DEA doesn’t suit you anymore?”
The weight of his stare, how weary he looked, made me remember when I’d felt the same way. “It just…wears.”
I nodded. “Ella’s going to give you my number so we can stay in touch.” She confirmed she’d take care of it on the long plane ride. “Call me and we can talk about it.”
Quick flashing grin. “Oh yeah? You gonna solve all my problems like you used to? You gotta great new job for me, Croy?”
It was very possible.
“I missed you,” he said, and his eyes glowed with warmth.
It was entirely possible that I had not realized my worth all those years ago. I needed to reevaluate what I meant to other people. Perhaps I was more important than I thought. My eyes were open to a whole new world.
After I hugged Ella, and then Dallas hugged Ella, and she swore to be back in Vegas soon, shooting me a pointed look, they were gone and on their way to the airport.
“What did she mean about coming back to Vegas?” Dallas asked me.
“She wanted to coordinate with me when I was going to be out here visiting you.”
“Oh,” he said, and it was like the rug was pulled out from under his feet and he deflated.
“You should shower and then go back to bed. You barely got any sleep at all last night.”
“Are you hungry? We can go out for breakfast, or—”
He was dead on his feet.
“Or I can make you some eggs and then we’ll put you in bed.”
Quick clearing of his throat. “And you’re gonna stick around, right?”
“Yes.”
Deep exhale. “Okay then, I’ll eat.”
He wolfed down some eggs and bacon and toast when he got out of the shower, but